[MSN] Stolen giant clam returned. 150-kilo shell was nabbed in August from dismayed musuem.

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Stolen giant clam returned 
 150-kilo shell was nabbed in August from dismayed musuem 

(ANSA) - Cupra Marittima (Ascoli Piceno), September 12 - A museum in
northeast Italy was delighted on Tuesday by the return of a rare, giant
shell that was recently snatched by thieves .

The Giant Clam, or Tridacna Gigas, weighing a whopping 151 kilos was nabbed
in August from the Mollusc Museum in the seaside town of Cupra Marittima.
But it turned up again early on Tuesday morning, deposited on the pavement
outside the museum .

Local police said the thieves had evidently decided the shell was too
difficult to sell to any dealers .

The museum's founders, the brothers Tiziano and Vincenzo Cossignani, were
delighted that the clam was back .

They told reporters they had been convinced the enormous shell was lost for
good .

Giant Clams are found in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. They can weigh
up to 180 kilos and measure as much as 1.5 metres across .

Once known as the killer or man-eating clam, it used to be believed that the
Triadacna Gigas could kill humans by trapping them in their shells. The
claim was even made by reputable scientific and technical manuals, and an
old version of the US Navy Diving Manual provided divers with instructions
on how to free themselves from its clasp .

But, as later studies showed, the clam's closing action is a defensive
response and takes place far too slowly to represent any real threat to
divers .